Fresh water shortages are becoming an increasing problem around the world, as demand for fresh water for human consumption, irrigation, and/or industrial use continues to grow. Various desalination methods are capable of producing fresh water from seawater, brackish water, flowback water, water produced from an oil or gas extraction process, and/or waste water. For example, a humidification-dehumidification (HDH) process involves contacting a saline solution with dry air in a humidifier, such that the air becomes heated and humidified. The heated and humidified air is then brought into contact with cold water in a dehumidifier (e.g., condenser), producing pure water and dehumidified air.
However, HDH processes often involve certain drawbacks. For example, due to the use of a carrier gas in HDH systems, a large percentage of non-condensable gas (e.g., air) is generally present in the condensing streams, which can cause heat and mass transfer rates in the dehumidifier to be very low. Also, the presence of a non-condensable gas can increase the thermal resistance to condensation of vapor on a cold surface, thereby reducing the effectiveness of surface condensers. Additionally, the dehumidifier can sometimes require large amounts of energy to operate. Condensers with improved properties, such as, for example, reduced power consumption and/or high heat and mass transfer rates in the presence of non-condensable gases, are therefore desirable.